1. Writing A Conference Proposal

2. Pick the Topic
Based on your experience: What is something you are doing that you want to share with other educators?
Are you adding something new to the body of pedagogical or content knowledge?

3. Your Audience (NCTM choices)

4. Make an Outline Make a brief outline of what you intend to talk about
What are your learning goals for the participants?
What do you want the participants to do so that they are active learners in your session?

5. The proposal
Depending on who is holding the conference, the style for these varies. Some are very detailed. There will be an FAQ for the proposal system that you should read before you do anything in the proposal system. The host organization will also have posted Proposal Review Criteria that you need to understand.

6. Your First Choice What type of presentation do you want to have?
nctm.org

7. Presentation Types Session – generally 45 – 60 minutes.
Frequently in a theater setting. Some conferences have a classroom setting
May be a larger room than other session types
Allows you to share information in a lecture format. You can share several ideas or do a deep dive into one major idea
The sequence of lessons I used to teach about quadratics
The big picture of ways I use technology to address equity issues in my classroom
Overview of my work on social justice issues
Behind the scenes mathematics of game shows

8. Presentation Types Workshop– generally 75 – 90 minutes.
Participants at tables, usually people
There may be the option for a Gallery Workshop where people can be at the tables or sit on the side
Participants take part in hands-on activities
A specific topic you have taught in which the participants do the activities as students
This may include technology, but be aware that some conferences do not supply free internet connections.

9. Presentation Types Burst– generally 30 minutes. Participants at tables
Participants take part one hands-on activity
You share one brief topic
Be a Superhero – student motivation system
How I have used formative assessment to improve my practice

10. The Title
There is a character limit. NCTM uses 100 characters including spaces
Be concise and get your point across
Be original – Get their attention!
You’ve Lost Those Boring Problems
Three Problem Types for Differentiating Instruction

11. The Description
This is where participants will decide whether to attend your presentation or not.
Character limits (usually about 500 characters)
Be as specific as you can be. Let the audience know how they will be engaged in your presentation.

12. The Description
Learn about three effective techniques to adapt tasks in order to increase access for all students and to enable students to acquire and demonstrate conceptual understanding. Practice using Reversibility, Flexibility, and Generalization on our tasks, and then use them in rewriting tasks of your own.

13. The Description
Avoid: “The purpose of this session is to …” “Join us for fun as we …” “I will be showing how to …” You have limited characters – don’t waste them on setting the stage.

14. The Goals
This may be called “participant learning” or “objectives for the session” or something that asks you to specify what you want the participants to walk away with. This is VERY important for the reviewers. Your description is very brief, so here you have space to explain what you are trying to convey. You may have 1000 characters (or more!).

15. The Goals
If you are doing a presentation at a mathematics conference, you need to specifically address mathematics content in some way. A content presentation makes this easy. A pedagogy session needs to make clear how the pedagogy involved is useful in a mathematics classroom, department, or program.

16. The Goals
NCTM requires proposals to state how equity and access are part of the presentation. If there is not a special session for this, list this in your objectives/goals.

17. Topics
You may be asked to choose from a list of topics the one for which you presentation is the best fit.

18. Topics
NCTM – Seattle 2018

19. NCTM Saint Louis - Fall Nashville – October 2 – 4, 2019
NCTM proposal links for 2019 Fall Regionals will be open in August/September
Boston – September 25-27, 2019
Nashville – October 2 – 4, 2019
Salt Lake City – October 16 – 18, 2019
NCTM proposal links for the 2020 Annual Meeting will be available in The proposal links for the 2019 Annual Meeting in San Diego are closed.
Chicago – Spring
Saint Louis - Fall

20. REgionals

21. REgionals

22. Final Advice
Have several people read your proposal before you submit it. Grammar counts! If you have permission to share student work, participants love to see how students think.

23. NCTM 2018 - 2019 Hartford, CT October 4 -6, 2018
Kansas City, MO November 1 -3, 2018
Seattle, WA November , 2018
Annual Meeting – San Diego, CA
April 3 -6, 2019

24. Mathematics Education Trust (MET) Grants
Deadline: Nov 02, 2018
Future Leader Initial NCTM Annual Meeting Attendance Awards
Grants of up to $1,500 + meeting registration are provided for travel, subsistence expenses, and substitute teacher costs of NCTM members who  are classroom mathematics teachers in grades Pre-K–12 and have never attended an NCTM annual meeting.